CHENNAI: A technology developed by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras that helps building structures that are cost-efficient and fast is under consideration by the Union government for its Housing For All Mission.
This comes after a 15-member committee headed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty alleviation submitted a report after assessing the Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum Wall Panel (GFRG) technology as a cost-effective alternative to conventional material.
The second meeting is likely to be convened in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the report.
The technology developed by IIT would help reduce construction cost by 15 per cent when compared to conventional technology. It also uses less built-up area for the same carpet area compared to conventional technology which relies on large beams. GFRG technology also uses less cement, sand, steel and water compared to conventional technology and concentrates on recycling of industrial waste gypsum which is readily available. Currently, the country has 64 million tonnes of gypsum at 10 different locations in the coastal regions.
The meeting on Tuesday will deliberate on manufacturing facilities to produce quality GFRG panels and to ensure their widespread availability closer to market at an affordable price. Sources said that the report by the committee has suggested setting up plants at four locations – Bharuch in Gujarat, Paradip in Odisha, Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and in a suitable location in Andhra Pradesh where gypsum, natural gas, CNG and LNG are available.
The idea now is to have plants along the coastline where waste gypsum is available abundantly. The next phase will be to set up plants close to the market and interior urban centres with bulk transportation of calcined gypsum plaster with a shelf life of 12 months.
Sources said an Indian standard code on design of GFRG Panel (Code of Practice for Design of GFRG Panel for Buildings) is under process in Bureau of Indian Standards for formulation of a national standard. Similarly, separate draft Indian standard Specification on GFRG panel system has been prepared by Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council for consideration of Bureau of Indian Standards.